REEFER MADNESS: ORIGINS by Mehdi Sidali (D&M Creative/Fringe). At Tarragon Mainspace. July 5 at 2:30 pm, July 7 at 8:15 pm, July 8 at 4:45 pm, July 9 at 5:45 pm, July 12 at 9:15 pm, July 13 at 2:15 pm. See listing. Rating: NNN
Now that cannabis legalization has arrived in Canada and more than 11 states in the U.S., it’s intriguing to see how this innocuous plant was once considered “the devil’s weed” and the target of the never-ending war on drugs.
The ambitious team behind D&M Creative provide a powerful historical recap of the propaganda machine fueling the U.S. government’s push to prohibit cannabis. Focusing on Harry Anslinger, the first commissioner of the U.S. Treasury Department’s Federal Bureau of Narcotics, the story reveals the racist origins of cannabis prohibition, while also spinning a few entertaining yarns about the aftermath of the hilariously over-the-top Reefer Madness film of 1936.
Koldin Collie does fine work as the cold and calculating Anslinger, while Nicole Moller perfectly captures the skepticism of someone plagued with guilt over her part in contributing to widespread propaganda.
What hurts the show, though, are several clunky mistakes, such as when actors turn their backs to the audience while delivering key dialogue. Some lines are also delivered too quickly and breathlessly.
The show could have also benefited from taking more advantage of the Tarragon Mainspace’s wide stage to bring more of a 1930s atmosphere to the story.